states. >> reporter: look at los angeles. the average is now $4.16 a gallon. >> of course the motor home is going to be sitting home this weekend because it's going to be way too much money to fill it up. >> reporter: gasbuddy.com's heat map shows the least to most expensive states from green to red, 3.78 in massachusetts, $3.97 in new york. and $4.15 in both california and illinois, the highest in the country. in chicago nearly $4.34. >> i have to make changes with how i buy food, how i do my bills. >> reporter: this is interesting. aaa calculates that if you're driving from atlanta to kansas city in a 2008 toyota van, you'll pay about $190 in fuel. same vehicle from new york to chicago, about $200. from spokane to palm springs about $358 in fuel. the good news, gas prices aren't expected to stay this high. as refineries start switching to a less expensive winter blend, their inventories will come back up. gas prices, it's hoped, will start to go back down. >> between thanksgiving and christmas, the national average may drop